University of Helsinki

WORLD RANK

Helsinki, Finland

The students' union here is said to be one of the world's richest, with assets worth hundreds of millions of pounds. Helsinki, Finland's oldest and largest university, serves 35,000 students and has 11 faculties and 11 research institutes. Established in 1640, it was known as the Royal Academy of Turku for 189 years, and played a leading role in Finland's 19th-century independence movement.